Metamorphosis
"Tch… why the hell is he taking so long?"
"I know, right? The Hyunmu Hall head's always late."
They'd been waiting for over thirty minutes. Yuyeon was getting increasingly irritated, while Yeoryeong-noona seemed genuinely surprised by the delay.
It was just the woman who had guided them earlier, standing quietly in front of the door.
"Let's wait a bit. There's still Jinyul's business to take care of, after all."
"Master, even so, at this point it's only proper that the head should come greet you. And since both the master and the mistress of Hyunmu Hall are alive and well, shouldn't the young master at least make an appearance?"
"Huh? Other halls don't do that?"
The fact that Hyunmu Hall was the only one with its ruling family intact hit harder than expected. Well, I'd never really known what a real family was like either—growing up without parents.
"My mother, the head of the Blue Dragon Hall, passed away in the last incident. My father now holds the position."
"The White Tiger Hall is the same. The only difference is that I grew up without a father."
"…Sorry."
I'd touched something I shouldn't have. Everyone looked composed on the surface, but it seemed each of them was hiding their own painful stories.
So the Blue Dragon Hall originally had a woman as its head, then.
"I don't know who my dad is either… Fuck it. I'm not going to say anything."
"…"
"If I ever have business at the Vermillion Bird Hall, I'll tell you then."
It didn't seem like Yuyeon's situation was something as simple as a family passing. She didn't look like she wanted to talk about it either, so I decided not to push.
"Heh heh… I'm picking up a familiar scent from that woman…"
"Seol-hwi, don't go sniffing around. It's rude."
Time passed. Nearly an hour from when they'd first arrived.
"The head has arrived."
Finally, word came that the person they'd been waiting for was here.
—fwump.
"I apologize for making you wait. I am Moo Jeongwoon, the head of Hyunmu Hall."
The door opened and a slender figure stepped in. No—calling him a man was generous. He was so thin it was hard to tell.
"I'm Hwan Hyun."
—crack.
"Oh! What an honor to have you here! I'd always thought I should meet you someday, but I never expected the chance to come so soon."
He grabbed my hand and laughed broadly when I greeted him.
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
"There's nothing to thank us for. Whenever a distinguished guest visits, Hyunmu Hall will do its utmost to welcome them."
Despite having kept us waiting, he seemed genuinely pleased to see us.
"Long time no see, Head."
"So you're Seol-hwi! Have you been well? And how is So-young?"
"Yes. My mother asked me to convey her regards if she were to meet you."
Since Seol-hwi had known him since childhood, their conversation flowed without a hitch.
"I am Yu Cheonghwa of the Blue Dragon Hall."
"I am Joo Yuyeon of the Vermillion Bird Hall."
"Nice to meet you all. I see you're all attending to the honored guest."
"It's only natural as your master's seed-bearers."
Cheonghwa and Yuyeon exchanged greetings as well. Now his gaze turned to Yeoryeong-noona.
"…Chunho. You came too."
"I'm his guardian. It wouldn't be right to leave him out in this harsh world unprotected."
"You certainly say things like that."
Apparently Moo Jeongwoon wasn't too fond of Yeoryeong-noona.
"Um, Head… when will Jinyul be here?"
"Mm. This has been quite the breach of etiquette. My daughter should be coming in now."
—clang.
The door opened before he'd even finished speaking.
But what stepped through wasn't—
A woman with her hair immaculately arranged, dressed head to toe in black with red accents.
"…That's Jinyul?"
"By the energy I sense, that seems to be the girl."
Everyone's reactions were stiff. It was quite different from the disheveled look Jinyul usually had—loose clothes, messy hair, a figure that looked like it had some meat on its bones.
"My wayward daughter was living rough, so I entrusted her education to a servant. What do you think, honored guest?"
"Um… uh…"
The most shocked was probably me. This wasn't the half-finished look I'd seen before. It was a genuine, refined elegance befitting the daughter of a noble house.
"W-well… does she… fit in…?"
"Yeah. She's beautiful. Really beautiful."
I'd never resented my own pathetic vocabulary as much as I did right now. Despite all the effort Jinyul had put in, the only words that came out of my mouth were the simplest ones.
"I'm glad you like her. Jinyul, come sit beside me."
"Yes, Father."
The seat next to me was packed with women, and Moo Jeongwoon was alone on one side of the table.
Jinyul came to my side without hesitation.
"Heh heh, already our child is so well-behaved."
"Jinyul was a little shy at first, but now she's gotten quite close, I'd say."
"That's truly a source of joy for me."
We exchanged pleasantries for a while. From what I gathered, his personality was generally bright, but he wasn't frivolous—there was a certain gravity to him as well.
"I'll prepare the heir's separate residence for you. You may not stay long, but I'll do my best to make sure you're comfortable."
"Thank you."
He also gave directions for where they'd stay. Jinyul's separate residence… given that Hyunmu Hall was known for its massive scale, that made sense.
**********
After Hwan Hyun's group left the reception hall.
"So, what do you think of him?"
Moo Jeongwoon's voice echoed through the room.
"He seemed fine. Looking at how well Jinyul and the others obey him, it seems good."
"That's not what matters. Are you really going to go through with it?"
Astonishingly, the woman standing in the doorway—the very one who had guided the group to the reception hall—was speaking to him as an equal.
—boooom.
The illusion that altered her appearance—the simple visual distortion—crumbled, revealing her true form.
If Jinyul's matured appearance came to mind, it would match perfectly. She looked exactly like Jinyul but larger overall, with a more developed presence.
"Testing the son-in-law's qualities is something I, as his mother-in-law, am perfectly entitled to do. Isn't that right?"
"Even now…"
"What? Why that look? You were the one who planned this from the start. You said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"…"
"If you'd done it properly, I wouldn't have had to resort to this."
"…Sorry, dear."
Moo Jeongwoon was utterly defeated in the conversation.
He might have his reasons, but to anyone watching, he was just a husband who'd been completely dominated by his wife.
"You handle the cracks well. Once things are over, I'll have everything prepared so you can check immediately."
"…Yeah."
**********
—creeeak.
The separate residence had clearly been built with care. According to Jinyul, it was the place given to the successor, so that made sense.
—sniff sniff.
The scent was pleasant too. The deep aroma of black sandalwood filled the space with—
—patter patter.
"Jinyul."
"Y-yes… Master?"
Since earlier, Jinyul had been clutching my arm and rubbing her cheek against my shoulder.
"Do you not like it?"
"No, I don't dislike it…"
Jinyul had been sticking to my side while showing me around the residence. In the process, the servants managing the place had seen us in this state.
"Aren't you embarrassed?"
"…Yes, I am embarrassed."
"Then—"
"But right now, I want to be like this."
"…"
To be honest, I didn't care. I wasn't going to be living here permanently anyway, and I didn't know anyone here.
Ultimately, ninety percent of the embarrassment was Jinyul's, but since she said she was fine, I figured I could be a little bolder.
—crack!
"Kyah?!"
—squish squish.
Jinyul released the arm she'd been hugging and draped it over my shoulder instead.
There was quite a height difference, so it felt like she was draping her arm over a coat rack, but I ignored that and slipped my hand into my clothes to grope my chest.
"…Ah… Master-nim… doing this here…"
"Don't like it? Should I stop?"
"I like it…"
Thinking about it, Jinyul was also some kind of pervert. She'd had sex education using hardcore doujinshi, so it was probably natural.
"…Now that I think about it, Master really is an incredible pervert."
"When we go back, I'll have to show you the principal's residence."
"When I go to the Vermillion Bird Hall…"
They murmured little remarks one by one from beside me. Since they were all my women anyway, I didn't really care.
"Jinyul, keep guiding me."
"Yes, nyehet… This is a simple tea-drinking area, and that garden is… kyaaang❤️"
We slowly circled from the outside. I deliberately did it to make Jinyul even more flustered.
—fwap!
A strange sound, and something solid touched my fingertips.
—spin spin.
"Last one… y-kyah…! This is where I sleep, but…!"
"Keep explaining."
"Thi-this is the most private place…!"
"So now you've seen everything? Good job."
I pulled my hand away from the chest I'd been kneading. My palm was sticky with the sweat Jinyul had broken out in over the past thirty minutes.
"A-ah…"
"What? You're disappointed?"
"…Y-yes…"
Jinyul exhaled the breath she'd been holding and stared at me. From experience, if I'd teased her nipples a little more, she would've climaxed right then and there, so that reaction was understandable.
"I want to give Jinyul a reward for guiding me so well."
"…"
"What would you like me to do for you?"
"…Can I be honest?"
"Sure! Right now I'll give you anything you ask."
That was a lie. Whatever Jinyul wanted, it was already decided, so I was just throwing it out there.
"…Would you… do that… for me?"
"Speak up! Say it again!"
"Would you… do that… for me?"
"What the hell is 'that'?! Say it louder and clearer!"
I raised my voice. Then the servants nearby all turned their gazes on me and Jinyul.
"Eek…"
Noticing their expressions, Jinyul hesitated for a moment.
"If you don't want to, I'll just leave. Your bedroom is your private space, so I won't 'absolutely' intrude."
"…"
I turned around and draped my arm over Cheonghwa's shoulder.
"Let's go. There's a separate guest bedroom anyway."
Well then, Mu Jinyul. Now how are you going to come out of this?
Whether she'd speak up and say it while pushing past her shame, or go alone to calm her heated body—it was entirely up to her.
"…P-please… violate me…!"
—slick.
Yeah, this was the way it should be.
Of course, the smile I was wearing right now was because I was pleased that she'd overcome her embarrassment. It was absolutely not some other lecherous grin.
…Absolutely not.